Various means of attachment for installing heat insulation on support surfaces are known in the art. Insulation can be installed in the form of modules or blocks, or in sheet or blanket form. Due to the physical nature of the material from which heat insulation is generally composed, and the use of the insulation in high temperature environments, it is preferred that the insulation be compressed prior to or during the installation thereof so that when the heat insulation is exposed to high temperatures and heat shrinkage is induced therein, gaps will not be formed between the pieces of insulation reducing the heat protection provided by the insulation to the support surface. Compression allows for expansion of the insulation thereby compensating for any heat shrinkage of the insulation which may occur.
A method currently used in the art for installing insulation is the use of insulation modules or blocks which allow the insulation to be compressed prior to installation of the insulation on a desired surface. Therefore, as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,001,996; 4,493,176; and 4,381,634, the attachment means utilized with the separate modules are sectional in that a separate attachment means is required for each module in order for the module to be installed on a support surface. The attachment means present on each module operates in conjunction with a complementary attachment means affixed on the support surface.
While block insulation can be made in a compressed state, sheet or blanket heat insulation generally has to be compressed at the time it is installed. Alternatively, an auxiliary compression means is present for acting on the insulation to initially compress the insulation and maintain that compression following heat-induced shrinkage of the insulation.
Sheet insulation is usually installed by lapping or forming folds with the insulation. A rod or other support means is generally positioned inside each fold abutting the support surface. The rod and fold are then held in place by another means, such as a tie or hook member. The tie or hook member is connected to the support surface in a suitable manner. When ties or hooks are utilized, a plurality of ties or hooks are required, essentially one per fold. The attachment of each of these individual ties or hooks to the support surface is time consuming. The time necessary for installation is further enlarged resulting in a labor intensive operation when compression of a plurality of folds is required upon installation of the insulation, i.e. pressure is placed on the sheet material to properly compress and position the insulation prior to tying or hooking followed by the tying and hooking in that position. An example of the use of ties or hooks for securing rod-containing folds of sheet insulation material is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,473.
Alternatively, an auxiliary compression means, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,791,769, can be utilized to provide compression of the insulation. The use of an auxiliary compression means, however, involves additional time and cost due to the added materials and installation of those materials.
The present invention is directed to an anchor system suitable for installing and securing sheet heat insulation material in a compressed state to a support surface. The anchor system allows for the installation and compression of the insulation through a single installation operation. The anchor system of the present invention uses fewer attachment means than the systems known in the art. The use of an auxiliary compression means is not required. Accordingly, the time and labor involved in the installation of the sheet insulation according to the present invention is reduced compared to the procedures known in the art resulting in a more efficient and economical system.